Ignorance and Bliss
by Gloorywantshappiness
Summary: OC – Valerie Cruz is back, but everything its way different than she remembered. Will she be able to survive one year in the Anubis House without her best friend? And what happens when she finds out that her destiny is bigger than she expected? Eddie/Valerie/KT Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**"I Want Back My Ignorance and Bliss"**

**Disclaimer – **

I do not own House of Anubis or any of its characters. They all belong to Nickelodeon. But I do own my OC, Valerie Cruz.

**Information – **

Sequel to "Big Girls Don't Cry, They Kick Ass". **But you don't need to read it to understand.** Actually, **I would prefer if you didn't read it**. I still don't like the plot to that one. Anyway. The original sequel, "Trouble Usually Finds Me" that followed season 2 was deleted, since I don't think Valerie would fit so well in some episodes. This one will follow season 3.

**About Valerie – **

Valerie Cruz is a Brazilian girl with the unusual gift of being able to see ghosts. She got sent to Anubis House Boarding School two years ago, as a punishment. When she got there, she received the mission of protecting the "Chosen Child", the unborn baby of Nina Martin. She completed the mission, but while doing it, she got shot in the chest.

Valerie was supposed to be dead, but since she managed to complete her mission, it was decided that she would be given another chance in life. She wakes up from a coma in a hospital bedroom, still in England. Her mother decided to take her back to Brazil, so she could be with her family.

Valerie is basically a walking sass machine. She is clever, funny, and bitchy. Has a bad temper most of the time, and uses sarcasm and jokes as a way of self-defense. She doesn't like to get attached, because people always leave her or hurt her somehow. She always stand up for what she believes, and is not afraid to say what's on her mind.

**Warning – **

I don't know where this is going yet. It will all depend on how the season goes and how well I can fit Valerie in it. There will be a lot of original scenes. Especially between Eddie and Valerie, so I can develop their friendship with a little bit more of freedom. The chapters are divided in two parts and I'll be updating it on **Wednesdays and Thursdays.**

Pairings - Originally, this was just a Jerome x OC story, but I decided to change it, so yeah, **no romance including Valerie. **Unless you guys ask me to or that I change my mind along the way. Anyway, so fair, the pairings are the same as the show. And Valerie totally ships Peddie.

**What Do You Need To Know – **

If you haven't read "Big Girls Don't Cry, They Kick Ass" then this will explain everything you need to know about it, so you don't have to read it.

Basically, Valerie has the gift of seeing ghosts and it used to scare her. Alcohol was the only thing that blocked them out, since it affected her brain and such. She went to the boarding school as a punishment, and when she got there, ended up discovering a big destiny in front of her. Since she could see ghosts, the Gods decided to give her the mission of protecting the "Chosen Child" – the unborn child of Nina Martin and Fabian Rutter. (Yeah. I know. Another Pregnant!Nina story. Please don't kill me, it was two years ago. )

In the Christmas Ball, her father died from cancer – just thought I should bring that up. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother, who thinks that Valerie is a freak for seeing ghosts.

Anyway. She becomes best friends with Mick, Amber and Joy and gets involved into a "Friends With Benefits" relationship with Jerome, who was just using her to make Mara jealous. Valerie dumps him after she finds that out.

Then, Rufus wants to take Nina's baby to do some sort of ritual to get eternal life that involved killing a child. Valerie stops it, but gets shot. She was supposed to die, but the Gods decided to give her another chance in life. It's said that they did it because she completed her mission, but it's actually because her destiny is still being written and stuff.

**And that's all you need to know.**


	2. I- House of Arrivals - House of Presents

**A/N: So, part one of the first episode. I hope this is good and that you guys like it. I don't know where this is going yet, but we'll see. Any questions, just hit me up at the reviews. Also, English is not my first language, so any mistakes, just tell me. Thanks for reading and enjoy :)**

I took my sunglasses off as I stared at the school for a few seconds. Memories filled my brain as I shook my head, laughing. Here I was. Valerie Cruz. Back to the boarding school. The same place where I had made good friends, had my heart broken, made bad and good memories. I never thought that my mother would agree to let me attend junior year again after what happened last time. I had missed an entire school year. Three months in a coma. Two months in the hospital, regaining my strength and doing check-ups. And seven months back in my country, doing… well, nothing.

I could have gone back to school if I wanted to, but I needed to organize my thoughts. What better way to do it than taking a gap year? My mother was not okay with it at first, but after I had convinced my psychiatrist to tell her that _"going back to school would not be good for my mental health"_, she quickly accepted.

And when my gap year was finally over, I decided that I wanted to come back to England. As I said, I made good friends in here. But I would never admit it in front of them.

"Valerie?" I turn around to see Fabian standing there, smiling at me. "Is that really you?"

"Hey, Fabes." I asked, approaching him. "Yeah. Back from the dead."

"It's so good to see you." He says, giving me a hug. Oh boy. I had forgot how much British boys liked to give everyone hugs. I awkwardly hugged him back, pulling away after a few moments. "How are you doing?"

"Good. Better than I was last time we saw each other." I joked, shrugging. "How about you? How's Nina? And Sam?"

"I think we are about to find out." He says, grinning as a car stopped next to us. He approached it, opening the door, and backing away quickly. "Wow. You're not Nina."

"Last time I checked, no. How is it going, roomie?" A blonde guy asked, getting out of the car.

They hugged briefly, tapping each other's back.

"Good to see you, Eddie. I'll get the door." Fabian said, closing the car's door

I cleared my throat, and the blonde guy turned to me. "Hi. I'm Eddie." He says, with a smile.

"I'm Valerie." I reply, as I smiled back at him.

"Are you new here?" He asked, seeming a little bit too interested in me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I answered, blinking my eyes, as I shrugged. "I used to study here about… two years ago. Then things happened, and I had to leave." I explained. "What's your story?"

"I got transferred from America last term." He answered.

"Which part?"

"Excuse me?"

"Which part of America? North America? South America?"

"I'm from the United States."

"So you are from North America." I say, nodding my head. "I'm from Brazil, South America."

"Oh… right." He said, looking over my shoulders. "Dad." He exclaimed.

I walked over to Fabian's side, only to see Eddie giving Mr. Sweet a hug. I frowned. "Mr. Sweet has a son?"

"Apparently, yes."

"Wow."

"I know."

Eddie walked over to us, with a sigh.

"So…" Fabian started. "Have you seen Nina?"

"What?" Eddie asked.

"At the airport?"

"Dude, play cool, all right?" Eddie said, as we heard a loud scream through the campus.

"JEROME!" It was Mara, who dropped her things on the ground, and ran straight to Jerome's arms. Was her voice more annoying than I remembered, or what?

"I think I'm going to throw up a rainbow." I muttered, forcing myself to look away from the scene.

"Playing cool. Not a British thing." Eddie said, shaking his head.

"Agreed."

"Gross. Come here, Jerry."

They all hugged each other, and I stood there, staring awkwardly at my own feet. It was not that I wasn't happy to see Jerome or Mara. Believe me, my feelings towards Jerome were long gone and I had come to the conclusion that Mara was more of a victim than a bitch. And I was happy for them when Amber told me via e-mail that they started dating – but still. When I left, I was not in a good place with neither of them. I was afraid that maybe, my previous behavior could make things unconformable.

"Valerie?" Jerome asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

"What's up, cowboy?" I asked, smiling at him.

He approached me. "Can I…?"

"You have four seconds." I replied. He smiled at me, and gave me a quick hug. I pulled away, and looked at Mara. "I'll give you six seconds."

She laughed as I approached her, and we hugged. "It's good to have you back, Valerie."

"Of course it is." I say, pulling away from the hug. "Who else is supposed to make you all laugh by getting into trouble?"

Fabian shook his head, turning to Jerome and Mara. "I guess I don't need to ask how your vacation was."

"Oh, it was awful, wasn't it, Jerome?" Mara replied.

"HEY GUYS." Alfie screamed, running towards us. "Baby V?"

"Hello, A-Dog." I replied, smiling. I missed having Alfie around. He was funny. He gave me a big hug, before turning to the others.

"What a day to get stuck in traffic. Trudy's cookies may be gone. This is a disaster of epic proportions, guys." He exclaimed, with a funny voice.

"Wow, Wow, Wow. Alfie, haven't you had enough sugar?" Fabian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"NO!" He yelled, grabbing one of my hands. "COME ON V. COOKIES."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Oh yes. I missed Trudy's cookies." I commented, as we started to run towards the Anubis House.

**( . . . )**

When we entered the house, Alfie let go of my hand and ran towards the kitchen.

"HONEYS, WE'RE HOME!" Eddie yelled. Soon, Amber and Joy appeared in the top of the staircases.

"Hi guys." They said together, smiling. "VALERIE, YOU'RE BACK."

"I AM." I yelled back at them.

They got downstairs, and we hugged. I missed them. Other than Mick, Joy and Amber were my best friends. I hope we would still share that connection this year.

"Oh, my lovelies. Back again." Trudy said, greeting us with open arms.

"TRUDY!" I yelled happily, giving her a hug. "I missed you."

"Valerie?" She asked, shocked, as she hugged me back. "And in a good mood? Oh, what happened during this year you spent away, honey?"

I laughed, as she let me go, and hugged the others.

"What about Nina? Is she here yet?"

"Not yet. When is she coming?"

"I don't know. I tried messaging her, but…"

"Your girlfriend is really bad at keeping in touch." Amber said, rolling her eyes.

"Not just me, then." He said, giving Amber a hug.

"What about Mick?" I asked, crossing my arms.

They both looked at me. "We didn't told you?" Amber asked.

"Told me what?"

"Mick moved to Australia." Fabian explained.

"Oh…" I said, taking a moment to let the information sink in.

Don't get me wrong. Amber and Joy were my best friends as well. But Mick and I had a special kind of best-friend connection. He was like a brother to me, always making me laugh of his jokes, singing along to Broadway musicals with me, and sneaking out in the middle of the night to make a sandwich. We always told everything to each other – well… almost everything – and maybe that's why I was a bit upset that he didn't told me that he had moved to Australia. But it was only fair, I guess. I didn't told him that I was going back to Brazil. "All Right, then."

Everyone except Alfie, Amber, Joy and Fabian left the entrance hall. "Where's Patricia?" Joy asked.

"Someone mentioned my name?" She asked, entering the room. She linked her Arms with Joy, and they looked at each other, before putting their hands over their eyes. They looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You are a part of Sibuna." Fabian said, as it was obvious.

"I… am?" I asked, frowning.

"You saved my daughter's life two years ago." Fabian said, shaking his head. "Of course you are. Now come on."

I nodded my head, and did as the same thing as they did. We looked at each other with smiles, before whispering: "Sibuna."

And at that same time, creepy creeper appeared out of nowhere. "This is an entrance hall. It is not a meeting room. Move, Move."

"What's up, creeper?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Always a pleasure to have you around, Miss Cruz." He answered, sarcastically.

**( . . . )**

"Great danger." I heard someone whisper. I looked around. It was not the voice of any of the guys "Great danger." It said again.

I frowned "Great danger." It was getting more far and far away. I felt some energy form running through my body, and I started to walk. It was like it was guiding me somewhere "Great danger."

The voice was coming from Fabian's room. I opened the door, only to see Eddie going through his stuff.

"Yes?" He asks, looking at me.

I took a quick look around the room, the voice echoing in my head. "It's… nothing." I say, clearing my throat. "I just thought that I had heard something."

"_Great danger." _

I looked around one more time, before wrapping my arms around myself

"Are you all right? You look like you have seen a ghost." Eddie asked, frowning.

"Yeah. I'm awesome."

"Okay." He said, nodding his head. "Uh… Valerie. If you were a letter, where would you be?"

I raised an eyebrow "In the mail?"

"No, no, no. If you were a _lost_ letter…" Eddie trailed off, before clasping his hands together "THE JACKET." He suddenly yelled, walking to the cupboard and opening the door. I felt the same force upon me again, and suddenly, a scene formed in front of my eyes, just like a dream.

"_You must take this to the Anubis state." The same voice suddenly said. It belonged to a man in a hospital bed. I approached Eddie. "Take this. There is a great danger ahead. I'm… too old. The burden now falls on you. I'm so sorry."_

_The girl standing by his side frowned "Gramps? What is this key for? What is it that I have to do?"_

"_You must stop it, KT. You must-"_

"_No. Grandpa."_

"Hey." Fabian said, suddenly coming into the room. It all seemed to fade. Eddie looked at Fabian with a scared expression while I just stared at the ground.

"Eddie… Valerie? What is it? What's up?"

"I think I just had a… daymare." Eddie answered. He looked at me, frowning. "You had it too, didn't you?"

I nodded my head, blinking my eyes. "I… need to go upstairs." I replied, getting out of there and running towards my room.

When I got there, I opened my purse. I always keep with me some vodka inside a bottle of water in case of emergencies. And, well, this was an emergency. I took a sip of the vodka, a smile appearing on my face. I didn't had much chance to drink during last year, and being drunk was a sensation that I missed… a lot. After taking another sip, I closed the bottle, putting it back on my purse, and getting up to leave the room.

**( . . . )**

I was climbing down the stairs when I heard a scream and someone falling into the ground.

"You." It was Eddie's voice. I raised an eyebrow, and went to help the poor girl.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, but I guess he's sorry." I say, looking up to her. Oh. Now I understood why he was shocked. "You are…"

"KT. I just got here." She explained, as the others came along.

"You are taking Nina's place?" Joy asked.

"Nina? I'm not sure. This is where they told me to go. I'm staying at Isis house tonight, and moving here to Anubis tomorrow, apparently."

"Cool. Welcome to Anubis House." Mara said, smiling at her.

I shared a look with Eddie.

"Thanks. Wow, this place is so cool." She says, looking around. "Is everything here from a museum or something?"

"No. Only Victor." Patricia replied.

"Yeah. I heard about him." KT said, grinning. "Well, I just thought I would bring some stuff here duringg the night and…" She stopped, looking at Eddie and me. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah." Eddie said, nodding his head nervously.

"Am… I okay?" She asked, sounding a bit hurt. "I hope I didn't interrupted anything."

"No, you're fine."

Joy helped KT with her stuff, and everyone followed them inside.

"We've seen you before." Eddie said. I only crossed my arms. "Seriously, we have."

"Uh… It's possible… Where are you two from?"

"No, it's just…" He started. "You are the girl of-" I realized what he was going to say, and interrupted.

"You are the girl from my dreams." I said.

"Oh, please." Jerome said, rolling his eyes.

"Ok." KT said, awkward looking around. "Gotta go. Nice to meet you." She said, smiling at Joy before turning at me and Eddie. "Uh… I see you later."

"That could have been awkward." Eddie commented, looking at me.

"IT'S TEN O'CLOCK." Victor started.

"Oh. I'm so happy he still does that." I say, clapping my hands happily.

**( . . . )**

**A/N: So… This is part one of the first chapter. Part two will be up tomorrow morning. May or may not include two original scenes. Hint Hint, Eddie and Mara. Thanks for reading. Review please. Peace and love. xx**


	3. II:House of Arrivals - House of Presents

**A/N: Hey, anyone who reads this story (especially to the person that is following and put it as a favorite. I hope you find twenty in the ground 3). So, this week's updates didn't went as planned, but oh well, that's life, right? So here, is the second part of House of Arrivals / House of Presents. Wednesday I'll update with the first part of the second episode – which I haven't got the chance to watch yet – and Thursday the second part and stuff. Now I'm rambling. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :D**

"Great Birthday this is." Alfie and I heard Amber said when we approached her in school.

"Is your birthday?" Alfie asked. Amber glared at him. "I mean… IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY… YAY."

"Just admit it. You forgot like everybody else." The blonde sighed.

"Happy birthday, pumpkin." I say, rolling my eyes, and giving Amber a hug.

"Thank you. Where's my present?" She asked us. I looked at Alfie.

"We are going to get it. Right, Val?" He asked.

"Yeah. Totally." I agreed, as we turned around and walked the other way. Once we were far from her, I turned to Alfie. "Did you got her something?"

"No. Did you?"

"Hey. You are her boyfriend. You should know this kind of thing." I say, shaking my head. "And besides. I didn't even knew it was her birthday. I was away for a year, remember?" I ask, shrugging. I looked down at my wrist watch. "We don't have time to buy one. What do you think?"

Alfie looks around, with a sigh. Than he smiles. "Jerome."

"What about him?"

"He must have a solution."

"… Why?"

"Because he always has a solution for this kind of thing. He is a life savior." Alfie exclaimed, clasping his hands together.

"There is a big difference between life savior and lying creeper." I said, rolling my eyes.

Alfie just shook his head, ignoring me. We walked back to the hallways and he smiled. Jerome was at his locker, putting something inside of it.

"It's Amber's birthday." Alfie said, as we approached him.

"I know. Mara told me." He answered.

"Did you got her a present?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Sell us." Alfie begged, grabbing his arm.

"No."

"I pay you the double."

"No. Both of you. Pay me the triple each."

"Okay with me." Alfie said. They looked at me. "Valerie?"

I bit my lip, thinking for a second. I had a bad feeling about this. But it was Amber's birthday; she should get a present from her own boyfriend. Besides, if anything went wrong, I would get to wear my best bitchy smile and sing "I told you so" in a high pitched voice and ask for my money back. It was a win-win for me.

"Deal." I say.

"It's always great doing business with you." Jerome smirked.

"Come on. We are late for the next class." I say, looking down at my wrist watch again.

"We can ditch, you know?" Jerome asked, sarcastically.

I opened my mouth, ready to make a cruel – and clever – remark about that subject, but closed it right away. _"I am not going to be a cruel heartless bitch this year. I am not going to be a cruel heartless bitch this year" _I thought, taking deep breaths, before shaking my head. "Whatever. Let's just go." I muttered, grabbing both of them by the arm and walking towards the classroom.

When we opened the door, there was a blonde woman in front of the teacher's desk. She looked at us for a second, raising an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"Jerome Clarke."

"Alfie Lewis."

"Valerie Cruz."

"Okay. Go sit you three."

Alfie and Jerome sat next to each other. I was going to sit with Fabian and Amber, but Eddie waved at me. I raised an eyebrow, but went to sit next to him. "Hey." I greeted him. "So, do you usually act like a good friend for people that you just met or do you just enjoy my company because I have an amazing personality?" I joked, smiling.

"Tell me when I get to see your amazing personality, then." He replied, with a smirk.

"Well played, Ed. Well played." I say, shaking my head.

"Well, anywaaay…" Eddie trailed off, thinking for a few seconds. "You had the daymare too, didn't you? And you saw the new girl as well, right?" He asked. I nodded my head. "What do you think it was?"

I shrugged. "The thing about this place is: weird stuff happens all the time. Ghosts, disappearances, chosen one's, magical cups, search for eternal life and all that jazz." I started, as I opened my bag and grabbed my notebook. "Can I borrow a pen?" I asked, putting my bag in the side. Eddie handed me a pen, and I smiled. "Thanks. Either way, my point is… There is some crazy stuff going on here, Ed. It always had. And there's probably much more where this is coming from. But to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of a new taking-over-the-world plan or something."

"Quiet in the back." The new teacher said, rolling her eyes. Patricia looked at our direction for a moment, sending us death glares. I raised an eyebrow, slightly confused with that action.

Soon after that, KT – Which is not her real name, just a nickname – got up and introduced herself to the class. I yelled at "RUDE" when Patricia made a mean comment about her, and when she finished, she sat down.

Eddie leaned into her chair. "Do you have a… sick grandfather?"

"And if you do, did he leave you a key?" I asked.

She looked at us and shook her head, faking a smile. "Are you sure you are okay?" Then, she turned front again.

When class was over, I was about to walk to drama class, when Eddie pushed me back. "What is it?" I ask.

"Just follow me." He says, approaching KT. "KT? I just wanted you to know that we are not stalking you, but I need your help. Yours too, Valerie."

We followed him into a classroom, where he turned to us. "If you were girls…"

"Excuse me." I say, crossing my arms.

"You are girls… Okay. If you two had to write a letter…. Dumping a boy."

"I wouldn't." KT said. "This is the kind of thing to do face-to-face."

"I agree with her. If you are going to be a bitch, at least do it the right way."

"Yeah. I know, but let's say you couldn't."

"Then I'd call."

"You don't have a phone."

"What is wrong with him?" KT asked me.

"I don't know. I met him yesterday." I replied, shrugging.

"Anyway." Eddie says. "What would you say to a boy … to break up with him?"

"You suck and I hate you." I answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Not that."

"We are not compatible." KT said. Eddie grabbed his phone and started typing. "I love you, but I'm not in love with you. And the classic." She said, with a giggle. "It's not you… It's me."

"Yes. Yes, thank you." He says, as KT smiled and left the room.

I raised an eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"I can't explain right now…"

"Still determined to write a letter under a girl's perspective." Jerome said, entering the room, hands in his pockets. "I wonder… Who could that be? And who would she be writing to?"

"Jerome-" I warn him, but he ignored me. Asshole.

"A love-sick British boy, perhaps?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, and leaves the room. "Out of the way, Jerry."

"Game on, then." He says, clasping his hands together and looking at me. "Wanna help me find out what it is?"

"No." I replied, frowning. "Whatever it is, it's none of your business."

"Of course it is. Nina being gone is the best way of spreading drama in the house." He chuckled.

"You know what, Jerome?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "People like you are the reason why people like me need medication." I say, shoving him to the side as I left the room as well.

**( . . . )**

"Hey." I say to Eddie, as we met up in the Entrance Hall. "What about Nina's letter?"

"I'm working on it." He said, sighing. "Wait. How do you…?"

"Joy told me that Nina messaged Fabian saying that "It was all explained in a letter" and that she said to "ask you about it." And then, I put two and two together. I'm awesome, right?" I asked, grinning.

"Yeah… I guess." He says, crossing his arms. We hear someone talking in the living room. It was KT. And she was holding a key.

"SO THERE WAS A KEY." Eddie yelled, as we entered the living room.

Suddenly, everything changes again.

"_Soon, it will be time." The new teacher said. She was holding the same key in her hands, as she approached something that was covered by a sheet. She smirked, pulling the sheet of, and revealing a person with a mechanical body._

"This key. What is it for?" I ask, frowning.

"This guy." Eddie said, taking a picture out of the girl's hand. "This is your granddad, isn't it?"

"Please, give it back." KT said.

"This guy was in our dream too." I commented. "He was the guy that told you to come here, wasn't he?"

"And he gave you that key." Eddie continued. "And said that if you came here, there was great danger."

We were interrupted by Victor.

"Students are not allowed in the house during lunch break." He told us.

"I was just unpacking." KT answered, smiling. "You're Victor, right? I'm KT, the new girl. Everyone says that this is the best house… Hi."

"Get back to school immediately. The three of you."

**( . . . )**

"I was at Himalaya last year on my birthday. And I didn't got a party. Didn't got a cake. Didn't got a present. Just like you." Some girl named Willow said, when I entered the drama room. "But I had the love of my family."

"That sounds extremely depressing." I commented, as I took a seat next to Fabian.

"Thank you, Valerie." Amber said, with a sigh.

"Your present." Alfie said, getting into the room and handing something to Amber. "Just as I promised."

"Aw, thank you, Alfie. At least someone cares." She said, as she opened up. Her face becoming serious. "Bacon flavored dental floss?" She asks, and then screams. Alfie sits next to her.

"NO. THAT'S NOT THE REAL PRESENT." Amber stormed out of the room. Alfie glared at Jerome, throwing the dental floss at him.

"We paid you for something expensive, Jerome." I say, rolling my eyes. "I want my money back."

"You still haven't paid me." He said. The girls rolled eyes, and got out of the room. Jerome sat down in the chair in the other side of Fabian. "Rutter. You've been a bit down in the mouth. Is something about Nina?"

"Yeah… Apparently, there's a letter. Eddie knows all about it, but he's been a bit… hard to track down."

"Oh, I understand your torment. If you had the letter, you would have some answers. That must be very hard."

"Well… If Eddie had the letter, he would have given it to me by now."

"Perhaps… Or…" Jerome trailed off, as he got up and picked up Eddie's bag. "You could check yourself."

"That's not funny, Jerome." I say, rolling my eyes.

"I'm not going through his things."

"I'm just saying that no one would blame you…" Jerome said, throwing Eddie's bag to Fabian. "If you did."

"That's crap."

Fabian looked down for a few seconds. He opened up the bag and found the letter. He stared at it for a few seconds. Then, realization hit me.

"Fabian, that's…"

"Valerie? Leave me alone, please?"

I sighed. "Well, then. It's your problem. Not mine."

**( . . . )**

"Hi. Can we talk?"

I looked up from the book I was reading to see Mara. She was standing in the middle of the room I shared with Amber with her arms crossed and a shy smile on her face.

"Yeah." I said, nodding my head. I showed her the empty space on my bed, and she sat down next to me. "What's up, buttercup?"

"I just wanted to know what do you feel about me." Mara says.

"Oh…" I nodded my head, and cleared my throat. "I think you are really pretty, but I'm not into girls. When I said that KT was the girl of my dreams I meant it in a friendly way."

"No. That's not what I meant." She laughed, shaking her head. "I mean… Two years ago, you hated me. And I gave you a reason for that. And I know that you and Jerome had a thing going on, and I thought that maybe… You would hate me for being his girlfriend."

"Mara… I don't hate you. I never did. Sure, I seriously wanted to punch you in the face really hard, but I never hated you." I did, actually. But I was trying to change my life, and hating people wouldn't get my ass into college. "And whatever happened between me and Jerome… Well, it's over. I don't even think about him anymore… You know, unless he is being an asshole and I have to come up with a clever way to tell him off." I said, shrugging. "But I don't have feelings for him. And even if I did, I couldn't hate you for dating him. I had a lot of time to think during my gap year and I realized that you and him make a…" I gulped. Saying that was going to be hard "Cute couple."

She smiled at me, her eyes glowing with happiness. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. But if anyone asks, I deny." I answered, shrugging. "I need to re-build my reputation of High Bitch In Charge, so no one can know about my soft side. Deal?"

"Deal." She said, grinning. "Another thing…"

"No, I wouldn't mind if you moved in with me and Amber."

"How did you-?"

"Amber brought the subject up." I replied, shrugging. "We are friends, okay? I don't hate you."

"I'm glad." She answered, giving me a hug. Oh boy. Huggers.

**( . . . )**

"SURPRIS-"

"Not Amber." I said, shaking my head, as I found myself a hiding spot. "But she's already coming."

"Squee. I'm so excited." The Willow girl said. I looked at her.

"She doesn't even go here." I commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Shhh." Joy shushed us. Amber finally got inside, and we all jumped.

"SURPRISE."

Amber smiled, and clapped her hands. "Oh, guys, this is awesome." She said. "And there's cake." She looked over at the present's table. "DADDY DIDN'T FORGET ME."

We all moved to the table. Eddie mumbled something and got out of the room. Fabian glared at him the whole time.

Joy looked at Fabian. "Fabes, whatever it is, it can wait, this is about Amber."

"No, it can't wait." He said, going after Eddie. I raised an eyebrow and followed him. "Eddie. I know about the summer romance."

"What?" Eddie asked.

"It's the real reason why Nina hasn't come back, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME." He yelled. "I KNOW EVERYTHING. You've been e-mailing each other… Oh. And she gave you this." He says, showing him Nina's locket.

"Oh. Uh…"

"_Don't be a bitch."_ I think, taking a deep breath.

"She would never give away her locket." Fabian continued. "So if there is something going on, you need to tell me."

"Dude, back off."

"_Don't be a bitch."_

"TELL ME." Fabian made his way to punch Eddie, but was held back by Alfie and me. "I need to know."

"_Don't be a – SCREW IT."_

"FABIAN, STOP WITH THIS MADNESS." I yelled. He turned to me. "WE GET IT, OKAY? You are upset because Baby Mama is not coming back this term, and you won't get to play house with her. But you two had a child together. She may be dumb as hell sometimes, but she would never cheat on you."

"You don't know that." He pointed out.

"No. I don't. But this is becoming annoying. Just get the fuck over it and move on with your life. I'm upset because Mick is gone too. He was like a brother to me and one of the reasons why I came back here… but you don't see me bitching about it, do you?"

"I'll tell you everything, okay? Just not in front of an audience. You might not like what you hear." Eddie says, with a sigh.

"Hello people…" Amber said, coming in. "Party is that way."

**( . . . )**

"What is Victor hiding?" I head KT ask herself, when I was about to climb up the stairs.

"He is a creeper. Who knows?" I ask, smiling, as I walked over to her. "Is that the…?"

"THEY KEY!" Eddie screamed, approaching us. He tried to grab the key from KT's hand, and that's when it happened again

_We were in a room. Everything was spinning around. Eddie took some steps back, and something closed down on him. I couldn't see what._

"_LET ME OUT. VALERIE, LET ME OUT." He yelled._

_I saw myself trying to move, but my legs seemed to be shaken. "Eddie." I saw myself whisper, leaning on one of the walls, before falling in the ground. Everything became black._

"Eddie? Valerie?" KT asked. I took a deep breath, shaking my head, as Eddie turned around, and yelled. He took some steps back and fall into the steps of the staircase. "Are you two okay?"

**A/N: Sooo, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Review (: Thanks for reading, everyone. Peace and Love 3**


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